Mariachi El Bronx (2011)
ATO
The Bronx
certainly turned a few heads in 2009 when they brought forth their mariachi
alter-ego and let loose a homage to that finest of Mexican traditions that
received positive appraisal and stood apart in the mainstream music world
amongst a party of one. Their detractors will most likely either a) not find
them trve or kvlt enough to be real mariachi, or b) will describe them as
something of a novelty act.
That said, on album number
two, Mariachi El Bronx continue to provide the yang to their main, hardcore
punk yin, and the result is another batch of enjoyable American mariachi music.
While the surprise element isn’t quite the same as it was on album number one,
they still know how to write catchy, quality songs, and Matt Caughthran’s voice
still provides all the passion necessary to capture the spirit of this music.
Arguably, it’s a step up from the first album; with better all round production
and punchier, more complex songs casting aside any doubt that this just for
novelty value.
Romance is largely the
theme and it prevails in many of the album’s highlights, particularly the
opener ’48 Roses’ and the infectious ‘Revolution Girls’. There’s also the polka
stylings of ‘Norteño Lights’, a number so charming you’d have to possess a
heart of stone not to fall in love with it. There’s even some sort of
mariachi/salsa hoedown on the title-track, which features another mariachi
band, the all-female ensemble Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles.
Other themes include bullfighting
(‘Matador’), abandonment (‘The Great Provider’) and death and salvation
(‘Bodies of Christ’, ‘Everything Dies’), and it’s during the more sombre themes
that Mariachi El Bronx excels at particularly well. Caughthran manages to offer
a quieter refrain in some of these moments, and the variation provided by the
band at these points displays just how much they understand the music and its
cultural aspects through their heartfelt sincerity for it.
So crank this album up and
enjoy the remaining twenty days of British summer, particularly while the sun
is still shining – and yes, as I write this, it is cracking the flags outside
again. In September! – because The Bronx have once again created a record more
than capable of robar tu corazón.
Peter
Clegg
‘Mariachi El
Bronx’ (2011) isn’t released in the UK until Monday September 5th.
It’s
currently available for streaming here
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